Actually I wasn't bothered about compensation, I was just wanting to know legally if the housing association could refuse to do the necessary work. Where the width of the stairway exceeds 1000mm, a handrail shall be provided on each side. and because of the steps he's got a scar on under his right eye. I wouldn't waste your money on a rail if i were you. By Effective clear width of doors 25 10. Powered by Invision Community. I was just hoping for sensible advice, not a character assassination. Every stairway shall be provided with at least one handrail which shall have a smooth continuous top surface throughout the length of each stairway flight  and have no obstruction on or above them that will tend to break a handhold. Spiral stairs must meet the vertical clearance requirements in paragraph (d)(3) of this section. Handrail Spindle Spacing for Stairs and Landings. The NCC is updated and amended regularly. Summary of Code Requirements for Residential Stairs. Height handrail is required: The building regulations state that, handrail must be provided at the sides of flights where there is a drop of more than 600mm. Click here to get started. 5.1. Rise can be a minimum of 150mm and a maximum of 220mm; Going a minimum of 223mm and a maximum of 320mm; Head Height The greatest riser height within a flight of stairs cannot exceed the smallest by more than 3/8 inch. The General Application Regulations 2007 are made under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 (No. 27.4.2 Height: Top of handrail gripping surface sha ll be mounted between 34 inches (34" = 864m m) and 38 inches (38" = 965m m) above stair nosings. There is nothing in OHS/WHS legislation which specifically addresses steps and/or stairs.  Both the employer and the person with management and control of a workplace have, under their general duty of care, a legal duty to ensure that the workplace is safe and without risks to health.The specific requirements for the construction of stairways, platforms, landings and so on, however, are found elsewhere - as builders, architects etc would be aware. Whether something like the hight of a step is safe or not is very subjective; the OP was enquiring about legal minimum/maximum heights regarding the step. HSR Conference 2020 - Risks to Psychological Health, not more than 18 nor less than 2 risers in each flight; and, (generally except in certain circumstances as set out in D2.13 b & c*): going (G), riser (R) and quantity (2R + G) in accordance with the Table below); and, (generally except in certain circumstances as set out in D2.13 b & c*), goings and risers that are constant throughout in one flight. living rooms, kitchens and external stairs) and one for stairs servicing non-habitable rooms (such as attics and storerooms which are not used on a daily basis). no, but our three year old has a couple of times and the housing assocition say they can't do anything. The Australian Standard specifies that except where there is a fixed structure at a distance not greater than 100mm from the stairway stile, stairways and stairway landing shall be provided with guardrailing on any exposed side. A few other important aspects to planning a safe, functional set of stairs are landing height, landing length and landing frequency. If they are of open construction, the opening between each tread must not be greater than 125mm. Ladders and stepladders are not banned under health and safety law. It reads to me that he's far more concerned with ensuring that things are made safe, than he is about chiselling any money out of it. I cant see why you need a handrail unless its a council property and you have some sort of "accident". Width. A top rail, supported by posts, parallel to the floor or slope of a walkway at a vertical height of not less than 900mm above the standing level of such a platform or walkway (where the fall height is significant, or where there may be wind forces, the height should be increased to at least 1000mm). [2] For dwellings, for external tapered steps and stairs that are part of the building the goingof each step should be a minimum of 280mm. It is important to check the latest edition, as the information on this page is general and for HSRs and workers only.  Employers and builders must seek separate advice from qualified architects or other suitably qualified professionals.Â. See thread in Sheffield Discussions for details. The following is taken from the NCC 2019 Building Code of Australia (Volume one - commercial buildings) and is for information only - please check the Building Code for more information. Table (from Table D2.13 ) Riser and Going Dimensions (mm), * The going in tapered treads (except winders in lieu of a quarter or half landing) in a curved or spiral stairway is measured - Â. At a height of more than 2 metres, or. We have had an incident involving some external steps which do not have a handrail. I cant find anything on our council website, but I think it would be a building regulation height, not a council requirement? and the second one is ten inch higher than the first, there is no handrail, is this illegal or not? In all the buildings handrail height should be between 900mm and 1000mm measured from the top of the handrail to the pitch line. See Fig. 270 mm in from the outer side of the unobstructed width of the stairway if the stairway is less than 1 m wide (applicable to a non-required stairway only); and 270 mm from each side of the unobstructed width of the stairway if the stairway is 1 m wide or more. 6 Approved Document K Building Regulations 2010. Is there any builders who know what the maximum height for an outside step is meant to be. Draft 2013 Edition 27. sarahproperty, 20 Aug 2007 #1. and the second one is ten inch higher than the first, there is no handrail, is this illegal or not? 540 ≤ (2R + G) ≤700]. The combination of twice the riser plus the going (2R + G) shall be not less than 540 mm, and not greater than 700 mm [i.e. Steps and stairs must now comply with the Building Code of Australia - which has been given the status of building regulation by Australia's states and territories. External stairs on the access route into a house may provide access to a deck or across a sloping site. Maximum 4-1/2 inch handrail projection into stairway width, on either side. The Ladder Association, (formerly the British Ladder Manufacturers Association, BLMA), has produced a Working At Height Regulations document in consultation with the Health and Safety Executive, (HSE) and the Department of Trade and Industry, … So this basically sums up the basic code requirements for residential stairs and their dimensions. It is now available from the NCC website. If earlier approval was given for an external 900mm height railing, this does not meet current regulations. In addition, the Australian Standard has recently been updated to be consistent with the Building Code: AS 1657- 2013: Fixed platforms, walkways, stairways and ladders - Design, construction and installation. If the step has been formed recently then the rise should be no more than 150mm(6") and the tread not less than 280mm and a handrail is required if there are 3 or more risers according to the building regs. Therefore let us recap on the residential stair code requirements: Minimum 36 inch clear width for stairway. Safe reaches for cleaning 58 31. Stairs are made up of tread (or "going"), which is the horizontal part of the stair you step on, and risers, which are the verticals holding up the tread. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. Most stairs are between 900mm – 1100mm wide, for comfortable use. 270 mm from each side of the unobstructed width of the stairway if the stairway is 1 m wide or more. The balustrade from should be 1.1m from datum to the top.What is ‘datum’?Datum is the tec… Tapered tread –a tread which has a greater width at one side than at the other and a going which changes at a constant rate throughout its length. The top surface of the handrail should be between 900 mm and 1000 mm measured vertically above the pitch line, and between 900 mm and 1100 mm above the landing, Handrails should give firm support. Ladders a maximum of 6m long 59 32. Please Note: All external balustrade has to be 1100mm high. A step riser is the distance from the top of one step to the top of the next step, measured vertically. Building codes keep stairways safe with rules that apply to the height and depth of each step, support and handrails. Each step on the staircase should be the same height and length, you cannot have one step at 190mm and the next at 210mm. Local planning may stipulate that a balustrade/railing is required for your roof terrace prior to the sale of the property as safety may be the overriding factor especially if it’s a common use area. Building regulations stipulate that staircase steps should be level. The dimensions of risers & goings of a stair must be constant throughout each step, that means in your case you would need two steps that equal in height and depth. The result should be between 550mm and 700mm. Regulations relating to the provision of external steps/ stairs outside a building: Requirement K1 DOES NOT apply to steps or access routes outside a building other than where steps are immediately outside the external door of a building. Balustrade and Railing Height Regulations One of the most common searches on this site is in regards to the legal heights of balcony railings and balustrades. or else, a guideline height? Sponsored Links; marshman. 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